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I wanted to write a blog about Rampage 2015 similar to last year’s. However, I forgot to bring my camera to the event and my phone’s camera is not a very good substitute for taking photos in low lighting 😦 I’ll try to describe my experience as much as I can without the support of photos.

I went to the event with my friend, Francis. We both purchased Deluxe tickets (Php 600) because we wanted the swag bag that came with it. We arrived past 11 AM and my jaw dropped at the super long lines of people waiting for their turn to enter World Trade Center. It even reached outside the WTC grounds. I almost got discouraged but I found out that the long line was for the people who were still hoping to buy tickets to the event. There was (thankfully) a shorter line for ticket holders but it still took us 15 minutes before we got to the main hall.

This is why it’s better to purchase tickets ahead of time.

One little touch they added this year is that they gave us an information sheet containing the program details and map of the venue. Imagine my glee when I saw that there was a mini food hall 😀

Event Map and Program

And wow! I thought that last year’s event was crowded but this one was packed. Maybe because Rampage 2014 was such a success that Rampage 2015 drew more fans. There were long lines everywhere and I regret to say that majority of our time inside the venue was spent on lining up for goodies and photo ops with cosplayers.

We entered while the match between Mineski.Globe and IPT B was ongoing. I would have liked to watch but the screen size of the main stage wasn’t sufficient for my nearsightedness.

Behind the scenes of the match between Mineski.Globe and IPT B

We first looked for the Razer booth where Francis was planning buy headphones. They items were discounted for the Rampage event. But unfortunately they had no credit card terminal and we didn’t have enough cash with us 😦

We next lined up to claim our swag bags. There was a sign at the entrance of Hall D but it didn’t say that there were different lines for regular and deluxe ticket holders. The line leading to the claiming area got tangled and confused at first. Good thing that there were bouncers who guided us and organized our line because we were getting squeezed and pushed.

Longer lines this way. LOL

Entering Hall D was the first part of the challenge. It turned out that there was a snake-like line that led to the swag bag redemption booth.

Yep, these are people lining up to claim their swag bags. It doesn’t look like it but our line was organized thanks to the firm but friendly bouncers 🙂

When we finally got to the redemption area, I was amazed at how organized the staff were. There were at least 10 people at the long table and each one raised a flag as soon as they finished giving a person’s swag bag. The bouncers would then point to which staff the people in line would approach. They were all smiles even though it was already 2 PM and I knew that they have been there since early morning. I was asked what my size was for the LoL shirt and I said small. Kuya organizer asked me twice but I didn’t know why that time. I got my swag bag in less than 3 minutes 🙂 It wasn’t until I got home that I realized the shirt I got was extra small. It fit perfectly. Good thing Kuya knew better 🙂 I didn’t know that there was an XS for the shirts.

The items I claimed with my Deluxe ticket: cloth bag, shirt, lanyard, pin, mouse pad, cellphone pouch, UFO Corki code, Riot Kayle code, and ballers (I had 3 because I won one from the Scratch & Win portion of my ticket and Francis owns the other one)

The biggest event and gathering for League of Legends fans and players happened last Saturday, August 16 at the massive venue of World Trade Center in Pasay City. It was many times better than previous Rampage events. Past events have seen thousands of summoners going to the venue only to find out that they could no longer enter because the inside was packed. This year, Garena promised an even bigger venue and a more organized event. And I think they made good on that promise 🙂 I was able to enter the venue (finally!) after 3 years.

One difference they made is that they sold tickets waaaaay before the event. I was able to buy a premium ticket (Php 1,000) and 4 regular tickets (Php 300) for my friends. I didn’t mind paying more when I know that the cost would be going to expenses for Garena’s preparation for the event.

We arrived late for the start of the program because of traffic. I was expecting long lines at the entrance when we arrived at 11 AM. But queuing up to enter World Trade Center was a breeze. There were several bouncers stationed at the entrance who checked our bags and guided us to the receiving area of Garena to present our tickets. Premium and regular ticket holders have separate entrances but I was able to reunite with my friends easily.

Our view once we got inside the venue. The place was packed.

I was overwhelmed with the number of people when I got inside. The venue was huge but there was barely any room to walk without bumping into someone else. We headed directly to the redemption booth to get my companions’ swag bags and the sponsor baller I won from the Scratch & Win part of my ticket. One of my friends won a LoL shirt. Nakakainggit!

I won a sponsor baller. Couldn’t really complain since one my companions only got a “Thank you”

The line for the redemption was very long but we it was always moving. Again, bouncers were stationed there to guide the guests and to prevent riots from happening. We were all behaving though 🙂

After the redemption booth, we returned to the main hall where the game between Manila Eagles and Mineski was just starting. Masaya palang manood ng live game. You can’t help but shout when the players execute an awesome move. The crowd ooooh-ed and aaaahhh-ed as one. Being support player, I was watching the support pro players closely and could only wish that I played like them.

Busy watching the game. The energy can be felt even at the very back of the crowd.

When the game ended, I headed over to where the Premium ticket holders must redeem their swag bags. I had a reserved seat there but I decided to join my friends first and explore the event area. When my friends saw my the items from my swag bag, they attempted to subtly steal my mouse pad and car sticker. Not gonna happen 😛

GM Skylar and Kajo as hosts

I went to my reserved seat when the cosplay competition started. It was a joy being able to see the contestants’ craftsmanship up close. My favorites were Blackthorn Morgana, Red Card Katarina and the first Zed. The hosts, GM Miao and GG Sphere, were also in cosplay gear. Popstar Ahri is so cute! My friend gave me his camera to take pictures so I forgot to use my camera for the cosplay competition. I’m waiting for copies so I can upload them here.

About halfway through the cosplay competition, my friends called me to say that they were very hungry. I was hungry too and couldn’t resist the thought of food so we left. Because of this we didn’t see the winners of the cosplay competition: Nautilus for best male and Super Galaxy Rumble for the overall winner. The Blackthorn Morgana won best female 🙂

This Nautilus cosplay won as the best male in the cosplay clash.

Because World Trade Center doesn’t allow food to be brought inside the halls and Yoshinoya was one of the sponsors, there was lack of variety to the food available. We had to cross the road to Jollibee where it was also packed. We were already thinking of going to SM Mall of Asia to eat when we saw a table being vacated.

Upon returning, we saw a lot of the cosplayers roaming around and we saw the opportunity to take pictures. Some were downright cute and menacing as befits the character they were cosplaying.

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I then remembered that I had 3 carnival stubs included in my swag bag. I pulled 2 of my friends and chose a random tent. We had to shoot 2 balls through the hoops to get a prize. Sadly, we weren’t that lucky.

The carnival area

We returned to the main hall when we heard that the group cosplay clash was starting. I returned to my seat to take more pictures and watch whatever the contestants had in store for us. I especially liked group A because of the stunt-filled fight scenes between Zed and Shen. As we were waiting for the results of the competition, the hosts raffled out cool items. My heart kept breaking whenever I realized that my ticket isn’t being called. The sponsors were generous enough to give out gaming keyboards, mouse, headphones, etc. I wish I was that lucky. But congratulations to the lucky winners 🙂

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After the announcement of winners, the all-start tournament started. I headed to where my friends were because it was more fun talking to someone about what was happening in the game. We were very entertained. Even my friend who has not been playing for a few months now suddenly wanted to play again. To be honest, I was only familiar with some of the players but it wasn’t so important when the game started. The crowd was awed when big plays were made. It didn’t matter which player made that play.

That was the end of Rampage 2014 for me. It was almost 6 o’clock and we were all hungry. We wanted different food than what was available in the venue and decided to watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the cinemas.

We left the venue satisfied and happy with the events of the day. A totally different feeling that we had from last year. Garena really did a good job organizing this event. There are a few improvements to be made (more food choices and merchandise selling please) but the overall happenings of the day makes me want to return next year even if I’m not playing LoL anymore 🙂

One random day, I found myself Googling “how to improve handwriting”. I was curious to see if there is any hope for my boring style. Calligraphy was one of the hits that came back and I decided to look more into it. I immediately fell in love.

The first question that came to mind was how do I learn this? Another Google search told me that there are available workshops in Manila by Ink Scribbler. I joined the mailing list and waited for a workshop announcement. By sheer luck, I received Ink Scribbler’s new workshop schedule as I was opening my email. I think I was one of the first to sign up. Yay!

Fast forward to August 2 and I found myself in La Craperie Boheme in New Manila for the Scribble Workshop. I was a bit early so I had a chance to chat with Alexis Ventura, Ink Scribbler herself 🙂 She just celebrated her first anniversary for doing calligraphy full time, but has been practicing the art for 3 years. I felt at ease when I learned this. I wasn’t expected to get the hang of this immediately. Hahaha.

I chose to sit beside one of the windows because of the good lighting. All the materials we were going to use for the workshop were already laid out on the tables. The materials include the worksheets, pencil, ink, flexible nib and nib holder. Tissues and water are also provided for cleaning our nibs and workspace. I discovered that calligraphy can get quite messy because of the ink so I had to be careful.

This is what my workspace looked like before the workshop started. So neat and clean.

The workshop finally started and Alexis introduced us to the wonderful world of calligraphy. We learned about the basic terms and techniques of calligraphy writing. Not long after, she asked us to start with our pencil exercises to practice our strokes. That was the easiest part. Hahaha. Pretty soon Alexis was asking us to prepare our pens and ink to start with the nib drills.

The part that both excited and intimidated me – writing with the flexible nib. Oh my gee!

At first I was holding the pen too tightly and so gigil with my writing. Alexis advised us not to be tense and just write lightly. I followed her advise and immediately felt an improvement. My exercises were still blotchy and rough but I was more comfortable with what I was doing. The exercises were very frustrating and calming at the same time. Some of the letters were easy to replicate while some had me wanting to pull my hair out. Alexis was very patient with us whenever we had questions or experienced challenges with some of the letter forms. She stopped by each of the tables to show techniques we could use. She made everything look so easy.

The mess I made of my worksheets

Three hours wasn’t enough to finish all our exercises and to satisfy all our curiosities, but the workshop was a good place for beginners to start with calligraphy. I’m itching to try other styles of calligraphy and other materials, but I know that I have to stick to the basics for now.

As evidence that we attended the workshop, Alexis gave each one of us certificates of participation. Seeing my name in calligraphy made me feel so giddy.

Look at the pretty swirls and lines ❤

This is a hobby that I intend to pursue. I just have to stop the urge to stab myself with the nib sometimes. Hahaha!

With Ink Scribbler/Alexis after the workshop 🙂

The workshop fee is Php 2,000 inclusive of all the materials and snacks. I didn’t need to bring anything because everything was provided for 🙂